


Spring's Only Downfall

by The_PrincessCat, Xhidaka



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drunk Gladio makes Dumb Decisions, Drunk Gladiolus Amicitia, It was only once, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22388920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_PrincessCat/pseuds/The_PrincessCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xhidaka/pseuds/Xhidaka
Summary: Ignis and Gladio have been dating for 3 months, and it has  been the best three months either of them has known. They are always busy, but find time for each other whenever they are able, which mostly ends up being at one of Ignis's favorite coffee shops a quick jog away from the citadel. However, one extremely grumpy Clarus Amicitia tells Gladio that his decisions must reflect his ability to produce an heir for the future prince. Gladio blows him off, but can a disaster of the greatest kind change his mind?
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Spring was always an interesting time of the year for Ignis. Typically it consisted of working at the Citadel, of course, and spending his lunch breaks outside watching birds and all the creatures spring brought anew. He enjoyed watching the new leaves on the trees twisting outwards to greet the warming sun, their small buds freckling the eager branches. And of course he liked to watch the people. 

Ever since he was little, the interactions between people fascinated him. Kids playing, parents chasing, old men walking dogs. They all had their interesting social cues and patterns. Most interesting were the couples. Specifically young, new couples blooming like the fruit trees in the parks. In the spring it was always new couples. 

Ignis always wondered how it was that humans, despite their want to control and tame nature, separate themselves from it, always fell back into conforming to her whims. But that thought had never changed the fact that, just once, Ignis had wanted to try it for himself.

The opportunity hadn't really presented itself until just after high school, what with his busy schedule and awkward social graces. He was still busy, maybe busier than ever, but as his body matured and his confidence increased so too did his options. 

Looking out at another couple walking hand in hand he smiled, sitting comfortably at the cafe corner with a drink in hand, another coffee and empty seat waiting patiently across from him. Of course he'd picked someone just as busy as he was, hence the waiting, but it was part of what made them such a good fit. For three months it had been nothing short of divine. 

"Sorry I'm late." Gladio huffed, coming to a skidded halt in front of Ignis's table, his chest heaving up and down as if he'd just run a marathon. 

"There was no rush, I already ordered the coffees." Ignis nudged Gladio's drink slightly. Really, they both knew time was always limited, but it wasn't worth killing oneself over. Ignis smirked, playfully. "Though it's not a bad image you're presenting. I don't mind at all."

"Oh, hush you. The Prince was, well you know." Gladio grinned, pulling his chair out and sitting down in it. "So,what's new?" 

"Having a little free time for a change." Ignis knew the same wasn't true for Gladio, who was only using precious break time between tasks to meet with him. "Meetings were canceled today and I don't have to be at Noct's apartment for another three hours."

"That is unusual. After this, we have a training session. And in three hours I'll be free. Funny, ain't it? Our free time seems to run opposite." The paper cup moved to Gladio's lips, and a content sigh escaped. Gladio's shoulders dropped as he melted into the chair. "Gods, you do know good coffee."

"Of course I do. How else would I survive all the long, boring hours in the Council chamber?" Ignis tipped his head and watched Gladio's posture, his expression, and especially his lips. "It's a shame evenings are so difficult."

Gladio mirrored Ignis's gesture, his fingers moving to play with the lid of his drink. "It really is." Gladio rose an eyebrow, licking his lips. "I am free tonight. When do you put sleeping beauty to bed?"

"If things go as planned I can leave around 20-21… if his friend Prompto pops in it will undoubtedly be closer to midnight…" Ignis's expression fell just a hint, but it was okay. Free time was always a bargaining session in their lines of work. He found himself chewing on his bottom lip and quickly took a sip to hide the fact.

Gladio hummed, bringing the cup to his lips. "I'll leave the door unlocked. You know where my place is." 

.…

Everyone knew where the Amicitias lived. Darkness had long fallen and a cold chill had started clinging to the air. Ignis had come in by foot and stood at the corner trying to get a glimpse of Gladio's window to know if he was still awake. 

The last thing he wanted to do was wake anybody. The Amicitias were a brash group, and Gladio's father in particular always made him nervous. 

Ignis's excuse was already planned, and as such Jared gave no complaints when he entered, though he remained quiet in case the others were sleeping. As promised, Gladio's door was unlocked, though the lights were off. 

"Iggy?" Gladio shifted in his bed, voice wrapped in sleep. There was a lot of shifting as he sat up, stretching covers falling to his waist. "What time is it?"

Ignis shrugged, the gesture lost to the darkness as he closed the door behind him. "Not sure. Close to midnight? Would you like me to let you sleep?"

"No." Gladio moved over on the overly large bed to make even more room for the other man. "Stay."

Gladio was funny when he was half asleep, his sentences even shorter and less wordy. Somehow it was endearing. Ignis moved to the closest side of the bed, slow enough that he would not jerk the other man rudely into awareness. "Alright. If you insist."

"I do." And as soon as Ignis was close enough, he wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close. 

Ignis's hands ran across Gladio's bare chest, trying to test for himself just how awake the other man really was. "I'm sorry it's so late. But I have an early morning and I don't think I'll be able to stay up otherwise." 

"We can be quick," Gladio purred, arching into Ignis's touch. His eyes closed, letting Ignis do as Ignis pleased. 

"Making me do all the work. Typical." Ignis's hands wandered down as he moved toward the bottom of the bed, tugging down the sheets as he went. "But if this doesn't wake you up, nothing will."

"You like it." Gladio gruffed, his hands wrapping into Ignis's hair. He was already wearing nothing, and between the cool air and Ignis's got breath a shiver ran down his body.

"You like it more." Came the obvious response. Though Ignis couldn't deny the truth in it. 

….

At sunrise there was a knock at Gladio's bedroom door. Four hefty raps followed by an expectant silence. When the future shield didn't answer four more raps broke the silence.

"Gladiolus, get your ass out of bed and come to breakfast. We have to leave in thirty."

Gladio grumbled and rolled out of bed and caught on his feet before looking towards the door. "Down in a sec, dad." 

The short response was followed by Gladio quickly dressing and heading downstairs to the dining room. Breakfast was already at the table, and if Gladio had been a little more awake, he would have seen the irritation rolling off his father. 

Instead, Gladio grabbed the hot cup of coffee and started shovelling food into his mouth. 

The elder Amicitia had long finished his own breakfast and was dressed in his Crownsguard blacks. He stared at his son for a long moment before he spoke. "Gladio, Jared told me about the Scientia boy coming by last night. Apparently it's not the first time. This needs to stop."

"No." Gladio spoke clearly, looking up and meeting his father's gaze. No hesitation. No fear. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions. He's welcome here."

"Every decision you make you must first think about three things." Clarus uncrossed his arms, looking at the younger man with all the seriousness of a Shield. He did not have the time to beat around the bush, and as such he kept his eyes firmly on his son. "First, your Crown, second, the people, and third, family. Should any decision you make be a detriment to any of these things, it is a bad decision. I'm not telling you that you shouldn't get along with this boy. I'm telling you that this pairing is a bad decision. You are at the age when you need to be thinking about the future of this family and your ability to produce an heir."

"My decision detriments none of that." Gladio took a sip of coffee, not breaking contact with his father for even a second. "My relationship benefits the Crown, doesn't affect the people and ya know what. It shouldn't be on me to produce an heir. Iris is just as capable as anyone to have a kid.”

"She's fourteen." Clarus grumbled, his steely blue eyes narrowing. "We are looking at needing an heir much sooner than anticipated. The Prince will be getting married soon, six years younger than his father. Within two years of his marriage he is likely to have produced his own heir, and it's best for the Shield to be older than the new Prince. I am five years older than Regis and you are three years older than Noctis. It is likely a prince or princess will be born within the next five years. That leaves us with little time. It's important that this trend continues."

“Why?” Gladio looked down at his food, no longer hungry. He huffed, and downed the remainder of his drink. He stabbed his sausage, knowing that Noctis wasn’t exactly looking forward to his own wedding, either. “Fine. I can produce you an heir without marrying anyone. Watch me.”

.…

As it turned out, the reason Gladio had been rudely pulled out of bed at such an early hour without his morning workout was to catch a train. When they pulled up to the station the King and Prince Noctis were already waiting. A small group of Crownsguard, Councilmen and civilians had also gathered, with only a handful of minutes to spare. The train was already at the station, bags were loaded. All that remained was the passengers, and of course the King and Prince were going nowhere without their Shields. 

The Royal Family had bought out an entire train car for their own use, though it was still an unusual choice in mode of transportation. Normally such an outing would be done in a caravan of black cars, but Clarus had mentioned in passing that the point was not to raise flags or draw unwanted attention. They were traveling moderately under the radar. 

Gladio got onto the train ahead of everyone else, finding a place to sit, where no one would bother him while he cooled off, his conversation with his father still picking at the edges off his mind. 

The others boarded slowly, and the car filled up, though not to an uncomfortable capacity. There was room for everyone to sit, and for a few minutes Gladio was left alone.

"Did you hear the news?" Ignis sat down across from the Shield, a hint of sadness that could only be seen in his eyes.

"No?" Gladio perked up, worry clearly upon his face seeing his boyfriend’s expression. He knew Ignis well enough to know when he was not right. "You don't look good. Did you sleep last night?"

Ignis shook his head. "Unfortunately, by the time I got home and turned on my phone, I didn't have much time to sleep as it was… and then hearing about the explosion and funeral, well…" only a breath as he paused and looked back into the other booths, spotting the Prince and his father a ways down. "Noctis isn't much better. When I went to pick him up this morning he was out so cold that I practically had to dress and feed him myself. Prompto was still asleep on the floor when we left."

"Funeral?" Gladio sat up and uncrossed his arms. His eyes dated from Ignis to everyone else in the car. The somber expressions and sudden trip. It made sense. 

Gladio's attention returned to Ignis. "Who died?"

Ignis laced his fingers on the particleboard tabletop and sighed deeply. "The entire 252nd Crownsguard. They were a small patrol on the outskirts of Lestallum sent out to investigate ongoing outages suspected of tampering… they were killed in a generator explosion late last night. Turns out the culprits were a band of imps, rare as that is…. The hunters are controlling the situation, now." Finally his eyes shifted up to meet Gladio's, his attention seeming to have centered. "If you hadn't even heard it, yet, something else must me bothering you."

Gladio was quiet for a moment, staring out the window with a huff. "Yeah. It's been a morning. Just something my dad said. Not sure what's got him trying to be all fatherly this morning. Didn't get my run so ... Just got a lot of energy and no where to put it."

"Oh. Alright." Ignis said a bit regretfully, knowing there was no way he could help the large man with that particular problem. He averted his eyes. "Maybe once we land, then. There's not exactly a lot of room to run in here."

"Nope." Gladio sighed, tossing his arms back on the edge of the booth he took up its entirety. "But I'm sure we'll be busy as soon as we get to where we're going."

"Did you… know anyone in the 252nd?" Ignis's fingers started to twiddle, his eyes slowly wandering back. He knew the real reason he'd wanted to sit by Gladio was that he felt less sad when he was around, but it wasn't going to stop him from talking about it.

"I trained with a lot a them. I train with most a the Crownsguard though. Wasn't one of them a girl? Yeah. I think I remember that lot." Gladio noticed the way Ignis fidgitted, leaning back over the table. "You knew one of them? I'm sorry, Iggy."

"Yes. The woman in the patrol was named Caron, we were in the same class in high school and graduated around the same time from the Crownsguard, as well. We were relatively close, enough that I had gotten a letter from her last week." Ignis hadn't meant to make it sound so personal, as it felt very uncomfortable out in the open. "These things happen. Hopefully we will be able to bring peace to their families. It was very kind of the King to drop everything so suddenly for them."

“The Crownsguard are vital to the stability of the kingdom, and what little of that we have ...” Gladio sighed. “I am sure he’s more than happy to. Wonder why there were daemons there? Some fucking freak accident for sure. Imps. Ya know Iggy, you need to talk or ... ya know ... I’m here.”

"I'm fine." Ignis lifted his head. "It's just a shame. But at least these people will get a proper sendoff."

….

By midday the train came to a stop at a dusty station a few miles from the walls of Lestallum. The Royal party and accompanying civilians, the family and friends of the deceased, were the only people who disembarked. Shortly after the train continued on its way, leaving the group alone on the platform.

The funeral was not to be a traditional one. Since very little had been found of the soldiers in question that hadn’t been eaten or blown to smithereens, they had opted to instead erect a memorial stone near the site. 

The actual funeral was a small ordeal, and after Regis himself pulled the stone from his Armiger. Those who had known the deceased spoke only briefly. The air was stale, and as everyone returned back to the station to wait for the next train, Prince Noctis placed a beautiful floral arrangement next to the stone, not saying a word. 

Ignis, on the other hand, was stopped by two people who had been at the train station upon their arrival. The young woman held a small child in her arms as she spoke. “Mr Scientia?”

Confusion was a relatively brief flash across the young Advisor’s face, and as the others passed on their way to the waiting platform he stepped aside. One of the women was a Crownsguard officer, which could only mean she was one of the ten that had come from other posts to fill in for the personnel that had been lost. As the train arrived he motioned for one of the others, making sure they would not set back without him.

“Yes? I’m afraid I don’t have much time to speak, but what is it I can do for you?” 

“It seems that young lady Caron left a small child behind. According to the birth certificate, he is yours.” 

The bright green eyes of the six month old looked up and tilted his head at Ignis. “Dada?”

Visibly the blond man flinched, and he looked wide eyed from the child to the Officer. “There must be some sort of mistake, I’m--”

Sighing, it seemed an answer the female officer had quite expected. “His mother did not have any surviving family or this would have passed to them. The information was under a notarized nondisclosure, at the mother’s request. But you were also listed in the emergency clause, so it is still valid. Testing for confirmation has already been completed. If you do not wish to care for the child you may file for adoption at your leisure, but until that point the child is legally under you care.”

Ignis couldn’t speak. Didn’t know what to say. After a long moment of tension his shoulders fell. “She never told me about this…damnit.”

The young woman holding the child gave an apologetic smile, not forcing Ignis to take the child from her arms. “Caron told us all a lot about you. She didn’t want you to know because she didn’t want to burden you. She knew you were happy in your career, with your new boyfriend. She didn’t want to damage any of that. She was perfectly capable and willing to take care of Asher on her own, and she never blamed you for anything.”

The pieces were falling into place and Ignis could do nothing but straighten his posture and lift his chin. “Is that so. It was only one time, and there was protection…”

The officer sighed and nodded. “That’s all it takes. And she was pretty certain why it failed. But that’s not the point. He needs a parent, and you are all he has. The paperwork, including his file have all been remotely uploaded to your station at the Citadel and...well, Mr. Scientia, we know you’ll do fine.”

“And it has to be now?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The fact he hadn’t been told had his Uncle’s stink all over it. Conceding, Ignis held out his arms. He was fairly certain this was going to change everything, and he had no choice in the matter. 

“Alright…”

….

“So,” Gladio looked at the small child asleep on the bench next to Ignis. He had fallen asleep after about twenty minutes of movement, and seemed to be staying that way. The silence that had spread on the train was thick and even those uninvolved seemed unwilling to break the silence. Perhaps it was part of Gladio’s paranoia, or it was from the wake they had just attended, either way, the awkwardness was a taste in the air. 

“Asher?” Gladio looked up at Ignis, a frown thick on his lips. “And they are sure he’s yours? Like don’t get me wrong, Ignis. I just-” 

There was another pause as Gladio tried to find the proper words for what he was trying to say. “Aren’t you gay?”

Eyes stayed on his knees as Ignis breathed deeply. Since he had accepted the child his heart had started racing and thudding in his throat and he didn’t know how to make it stop. “Yes. That has never been a question. It’s-- a slightly odd story that involves two friends and a girl who didn’t want to go to the edges of the world among the worst of the worst as a virgin. She knew my preferences and well… that meant I was safe. I only did it the once, and only because we were friends…”

A stick had lodged itself in Ignis’s throat and he wasn’t sure if he was going to cry or vomit. It was a miracle Gladio was even talking to him.

Gladio was silent as he watched Ignis’s expression. With every fiber of his being, he believed him, but it was still a hard pill to swallow. Had this been on his own father’s mind this morning? Gladio suppressed a growl at the thought, and chanced a look behind him. Noctis made eye contact with him from beside his father, causing Clarus to also look directly at Gladio. His face was stalwart, unmoving and untelling. 

“We’ll figure it out. Kay?” It wasn’t easy to say, and Gladio was certain that this would not count as him producing his own heir, but he couldn’t just leave, right?

Ignis didn’t really think there was much to be figured out. There were a limited amount of paths that this could take. Most of them made his guts knot. Ignis reached over to the child and gently twirled fingers through the soft mass of dark brown hair on his head. “I will understand if you want to be free of this. I cannot take it against you. You did not sign up for this.” Neither of them did. The difference was that Gladio had an easy way out.

“This isn’t fair Ignis.” The last three months, they had been so blissful. Ignis had treated Gladio in ways no woman could. He needed little, and gave him everything. Gladio had tried his hardest to return that, and even now was feeling had hadn’t done well enough. “I need to try. How hard can it be?”

“I-I don’t actually know. I’m going to have to stop by the library to obtain some books.” Ignis felt another waver in his voice and shoved it back, reaching for the meager bag of supplies that Caron’s friend had given him when he had finally accepted baby Asher. “I will probably have to buy more supplies as well and-- unfortunately I don’t know what babies eat or what kind of toys and clothes they need…”

Another wave of nausea hit and Ignis clutched his shirt. He wasn’t sure he could handle this.

"We'll figure it out when we get home. Just-there's nothing you can do right now." Gladio wasn't sure how to feel or what the say, his eyes moving to the table.

....

Ignis had invited Gladio over that night to help him, and while Ignis had been given a several day work break, Gladio still had work. But he promised to be over as soon as he was able. 

The Prince had gone to bed around 22:00 and he'd been drunk. Gladio had indulged the boy after their stressful day, and as he stumbled down the block, he realized he'd probably had a bit much himself. 

Ignis was only a short walk from the Prince, and even drunk, the Shield could find his way. There were a few hard knocks on the door as Gladio steadied himself on the doorframe. 

All the lights in the apartment were on when Ignis answered the door. Initially he'd felt a surge of relief, but when he looked Gladio up and down that immediately fell away. The Shield looked disheveled, his cheeks were flush and he smelled like a bar. Not that he himself looked much better, but he knew what he'd been up to and it had nothing to do with liquor. 

"Gladio? Are you alright?"

“Yeah. I’m fine. ‘Sit a bad time?” Gladio straightened, and ran his hands down his front as if it would smooth away the drunk. He cleared his throat, and tried to put on his best ‘casual’ smile. “Prince just passed out. So. If you still want me?”

"Come in." Perhaps Gladio wouldn't be much help, but Ignis needed anything he could get. Once Gladio had passed the threshold Ignis shut the door behind him and locked it. 

Ignis's house had never been anything impressive. His walls, carpets and countertops all came in stock colors. His kitchen was too small for two people and every cabinet in the house was the same make. There were no paintings or decorations on the walls and his living room consisted of three pieces of furniture, a single reclining chair, a lamp and a bookshelf, which instead of books held paperwork and files. It was the living space of a single man who was never home. 

When they stepped inside Ignis's chair and lamp had been pushed to the wall and was replaced with long, slender cardboard boxes and plastic sacks. One of the boxes was open and it's contents spread everywhere. Some kind of build it yourself furniture.

Little Asher was strapped into a stroller and watched them as they entered, silently. An unopened bottle of cheap wine sat on his kitchen counter.

"I'd say you could make yourself at home but there's not a lot of space to move about at the current moment." Ignis gestured to the mess, not sure what to do with himself. 

“Let me help.” Gladio cleared his throat, and did his best ‘sober’ walk. “I’ma expert at putting furniture together. Just watch.” He managed to not fall over in the process, and went to sit in the only space his large person would fit on the floor near the, whatever it was. “So, whatcha making?”

"A crib… he needs somewhere to sleep and he almost rolled off my bed once…" Ignis eyed the cheap, painted wood strewn about. "The rest of it can wait until tomorrow…" he located the instructions, vague primitive pictures that did little to explain exactly what was expected of the assembler. 

For a while, only noises passed between them to communicate. Gladio seemed to be able to function properly, and only a few times stumbled over himself in an attempt to help his boyfriend. Soon, the cheap wooden structure was assembled, and they both had a mildly pleased look on their faces. “See. Wasn’t so hard.” 

"You are, in all regards, a lifesaver." As if on cue a sharp cry erupted through the room, followed by a series of sobs.

Gladio stood, still wobbly on his feet. “I got it Iggs.” He moved quicker than he should to the child, and unbuckled him. It was a fluid motion and everything happened so quickly. As Gladio lifted up, from under the child's armpits, Asher burped, and fluid cascaded from Gladio’s leather pants up to his black tanktop. 

Gladio blinked at the child for a moment, before his own stomach reacted to the smell. “Oh gods.” Gladio replaced Asher as he himself made a beeline for Ignis’s bathroom, magically managing to not trip on his way. The moment his body was in place, he mimicked the child, straight into the toilet. 

After freaking out Ignis consulted the stack of books toppling over next to his chair, worried he was going to have to rush to the hospital. When it turned out it was a normal occurrence, Ignis breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted Asher from his seat and into his arms, soothing the baby as he went to check on Gladio. 

Asher was back to being quiet, other than small bubbling noises of discontent. "Gladio? Is there something I can do to help?"

“Nope.” Gladio removed his hands from the sides of the toilet, and sat back onto the cool tile. “I overdid it.” Gladio looked down at his clothing, regardless of the freely throbbing headache, he knew that if he didn’t clean his pants, they were going to stain. 

“I gotta clean these.” Without a second of hesitation, Gladio was stripping, and even though he was still off balanced, he successfully managed. 

Feeling useless was not normal for Ignis and he fidgeted in place, which strangely seemed to calm baby Asher. 

"A-are you sure? I'm good with fabrics."

Gladio steadied himself on the sink. "Yeah maybe." He was feeling worse by the second, his body only now realizing he'd skipped dinner. 

"You should take better care of yourself." With one arm Ignis helped steady Gladio, then started collecting his soiled clothing off the floor. Drunken Gladio was not much different than a child, himself. "You have work in the morning, you need food and sleep…"

"Yeah. Or just sleep." Gladio sighed. Letting Ignis move him as the child cooed at him and tugged his long hair. "I guess I'll crash on the couch? I can't really leave here butt naked, can I?"

"I don't have a couch…" Ignis glanced away, leading the way despite both arms being full. His home wasn't set up for visitors, really. Especially not of Gladio's size. "There's a chair, but… you can have the bed if you need it. I'm sorry I don't have a change of clothes." 

"Right." In his drunken addled mind he'd forgotten. "Floors fine. Your beds too small. I'll be fine. Promise."

"Then just let me find you some blankets and pillows." Ignis left Gladio leaning against the wall and Asher in the newly built crib. The crib was yet to have the mattress put in, but as Asher attempted to climb the bars, it was clear he was not yet ready for sleep. Instead he focused his big green eyes on Gladio and started to giggle. 

A few minutes later Ignis returned with a comforter, obviously from his bed, and a single pillow. He didn't have much, but he needed to make sure Gladio was as comfortable as possible and was willing to do anything to keep him happy. 

Though he wasn't going to admit he was terrified that Gladio was going to leave him. 

"That baby's staring at me. Like. Ya know. One of those old creepy paintings." Gladio quirked his eyebrow at the child, which was greeted by Asher squealing and bubbling some noises from his mouth.

"His eyes _are moving_ it's not an optical illusion." Though Asher did seem rather transfixed on Gladio. Ignis didn't see it as a concern and instead laid out the bedding on the open space on the floor, right beside the recently built crib. "And maybe he likes you. Is that so hard to believe?"

“Never met a baby that liked me.” Gladio scrunched his face at the kid, and again, the same squealing came from him. “Baby’s are so weird.”

As soon as the ‘bed’ was made up, Gladio made to lie down. His eyes sagging as he felt the world close in on him. “Night Iggs.”

"Goodnight." Ignis dimmed the lights, though he didn't head to bed. First he was intent on cleaning off Gladio's clothes and hanging them to dry. Then he had to properly set up the crib with a mattress and bedding and get Asher to sleep before heading off, himself. 

Hopefully he had time to sleep before morning. 

....

When the sun finally came up, Gladio was not around. The clothing was removed from the bathroom, and Asher was sleeping peacefully in his bed. The comforter was folded and the pillow lay on top with a note. 

_‘Didn’t want to wake you. Asher was fussy all night. I put him to bed. Hope you finally got some sleep. ~ Gladio’_

Ignis stared at the note for a long while before sighing and going to make breakfast. For Asher--Ignis wasn't hungry. The two, maybe three hours of sleep he'd gotten seemed to be doing him more harm than good and he still had a whole list of things to build and errands to run. 

He pulled out the vegetables and meats he'd need from his fridge and then stopped to send a text before he got chopping and blending.

Gladiolus Amicitia   
  
I missed you this morning. Would you like to meet on your off hour?   
Meet me @ Shay’s bar @ noon

While a bar was not exactly a conventional place for a lunch meetup, Ignis confirmed he'd be there. He was familiar with the place, being a popular Crownsguard hangout only blocks from the Citadel. On the bright side, that meant he could check Asher into the Citadel daycare and get a break for an hour or two as well. 

….

The bar was relatively silent and there seemed to be only one patron. Gladio sat at the bar in the same outfit that he had worn the night before. There was a glass in his hand as his shoulders slumped forward and his head was bowed. The one lone bar keep continued to look at Gladio, worry etched on her face. 

The image was not what Ignis had expected. Without its usual patrons the bar seemed lonely, desolate and depressing. Not exactly the best feeling when he knew they were both already dealing with a great level of stress. 

With a long breath Ignis took the seat next to his boyfriend and tilted his head to look at him. "What's good here?"

Gladio swallowed hard, taking the beer on his hand to his lips. "Don't think I've ever eaten here. Honestly. But I didn't suggest here for food." There was a rock sitting in his stomach that didn't want to dislodge and tears burning at the edges of his eyes.

"I know I said I'd help ya figure out this kid thing-" Gladio stopped feeling his throat close as he spoke. The alcohol was the only thing pushing him through. "My dad wants me to get married and have a kid. This heir things really hitting him hard right now. I-"

"I suppose that's what it's like in old families that put a lot of stock in bloodlines. My family has never been as strict about breeding as yours…" though neither were they exactly present in his life, so there was that. Ignis placed a hand on Gladio's shoulder, trying to gauge what the somber man was trying to say. "With all of this and the fact it looks like you didn't have time to go home before work this morning….you have time to think about heirs. I can help you."

"I-" Gladio felt like he was drowning. How could he be so nice when Gladio was trying to break up with him? He downed his beer and waved the bar keep over. "Another." 

"I gotta cut you off." The bar keep placed her hands on her hip, looking to Ignis for help. "I can get you water or food, but no one should be that drunk before noon."

Ignis turned to Gladio and tented his brow. "You were drinking last night, how many have you had?"

"Last night? No. Me and Noctis just had a handle at his place." Gladio sighed, looking down at his hands. "I didn't think I'd been here that long."

"You were here this morning, got really drunk with the night shift Crownsguard and came back about an hour or two ago." The bar keep shook her head as she poured out a glass of water. "I was about ready to call someone to come get him, to be frank."

That would have ended poorly. The first person on that list would have been Clarus. "Gladio, why in the name of the Six and their mothers are you destroying yourself with alcohol? You have work! Just because your father has these irritating expectations you’re making irresponsible choices."

"I'm breaking up with you." Gladio let his head fall into his hands as tears stormed out from their place in waiting. "It's not you. I just-" shifting, he pulled out a paper shoved into his jacket, letting Ignis read the words as he sobbed. 

Ignis had never felt a pain like this before. It spread from his chest, his throat and his gut. His hands shook as he lifted the newspaper and spotted the personal ad. 

__Gladiolus Amicitia seeks mother for child. Terms to be discussed. Terms include 9 months prenatal care and compensation for breast milk and two months post birth care. Contact Clarus Amicitia for more information._ _

And afterwards, drunk Gladio had actually put his father's personal cell number on the ad.

The ad only made it worse. Ignis dropped the paper on the bar and pulled his hands back and onto his lap. None of it made any logical sense, even for a drunk man. His lips quivered and he stared at his knees. “Gladio… why would you? If it’s not me… and it’s not your father pushing you then is it Asher? Do you want me to get rid of him?”

Gladio stood, the bar stool crashing from the force of it. He also felt his stomach churn at that very moment, and tossed his hand on the bar. “Iggy, you can’t.” The world spun for a moment, as he stood up again. “I will be right back.” And for the second time in less than twenty four hours, Gladio was rushing to the bathroom. 

It felt like hours that he was heaving into the toilet, and somewhere in the middle, his phone buzzed, but he couldn’t have cared as each time his body heaved, he felt his head throb. This had to be what it felt like to die. 

Gladiolus Amicitia   
  
I understand that you don't want anything to do with me. I will not bother you again. I'm sorry. Please find happiness.   
  


Finally, Gladio returned to the bar only to find Ignis was nowhere to be found. Defeated, he sat down at the bar, looking to Shelly or Sharron or whoever. “I am no longer as drunk. Can I have a beer?”

“You know I can’t do that, kid. Sorry. He was cute.” The bartender pushed a glass of water across the bar, as well as package of crackers. “Hey, the only place to go from the bottom is up, ya hear?”

Gladio stood, not even bothering with the water or crackers. “Thanks” And he turned and headed out of the bar, not listening to her pleads to let her call him a cab. That last place he wanted to go was home. 

His feet took him to yet another bar, and by the time he arrived, his head was throbbing and his guts were twisted. He sat down at the bar, head hung low as he waited for the bartender. “Shot a whiskey.”

Just then Gladio heard a ping and the man behind the bar lifted a tablet connected to the underside of the bar. “Mm, Gladiolus Amicitia? Sorry bro, can’t do it. A bulletin just went out. No bar in Insomnia can serve you right now, Clarus Amicitia issued a stop service. Until he lifts it there’s nothing I can do. Bars, liquor stores. You might wanna find another way to dull the edge, brother.”

Gladio let his head hit the bar for a moment before he stood up abruptly. His head spun and he almost felt like he was going to vomit again, but he had nothing left to expel. “You’re gonna call him, ain't ya?” But he didn’t wait for an answer, as he left. He had no idea where he was, but he knew that if his father knew he’d been drinking, it was only a matter of time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio and Ignis are miserable and neither of them can seem to say it to the other. Gladio continues to be stupid and Ignis's sleep deprivation peaks and finally tips over. Is Ignis fit to be a single father? Is Ignis fit to be Noct's adviser? Will everything be okay? 
> 
> The answer is yes. But what will it take to get there?

It was official. It was the end of Ignis Scientia’s springtime. It didn’t feel fair. He’d barely gotten to enjoy it. After two more days taking care of Asher as best as he could manage he was required to go back to work at the Citadel. His time off hadn’t felt like such at all. In fact, he was certain he had slept and eaten less in the span of those three days than he had in his entire life. It didn’t help that he’d built several more pieces of furniture, assembled toys and chairs and playpens. He’d changed diapers, made what felt like gallons of pureed food and formula and done so with several knives through his chest and painful red streaks down his cheeks. 

The red marks weren’t entirely gone the morning Ignis had to return to work. Rather than put up his hair and shave he spent his morning trying to cover the streaks with makeup so that no one would ask questions. By the time he was finished, he was running late and ran out of breath to make it to the daycare first and then his meeting on time. Only Noctis commented that he looked like shit, but he knew. He could tell.

He saw little of Noctis after that first meeting, as apparently the Prince had earned himself a sentence of house arrest for his drinking with Gladio, and what time he wasn’t at home was spent in the presence of Regis and Clarus during ‘bonding time’. 

It was almost smooth sailing until lunch when two women decided to have a loud conversation about Gladio in front of him. “You are telling me he is going on dates with ALL of them? My girlfriend said she applied and like, there were hundreds of girls wanting to throw their panties at that hunk of a man!” 

“I heard he was gay. What was his name? Ignis? Did they break up? I wonder why. Damn stupid if you ask me.” 

“I bet Gladio did the breaking up.” The second girl giggled to her friend. “He’s way too cute for it to have been the other way around.” 

As if Ignis didn't want to fall in a hole without backhanded comments and news of his ex already dating again after only two days. As though he wasn't invisible and it didn't hurt enough already. He stared down at the cafe table, decided he wasn't hungry and stood back up.

"I don't think I even saw that other guy. You think he works at the Citadel, too?"

"I heard he works for prince Noctis."

"Poor guy."

Ignis left without even buying a coffee and instead went back to work. It was difficult to think straight at it was, but it was better than the commentary in the real world. 

….

Gladio flopped onto Noctis couch, letting a long sigh escape his lips. "You got any of that alcohol left over from the other night?"

"Dude…" Noctis frowned. There were still plenty of places to sit but Gladio had just taken all four of his favorites. "I'm not that dumb. Your father is scary. He would skin me to an inch of death if I let you and he found out."

"And yet they won't do it to me. How strange." Gladio sighed starting up at the ceiling. "I'm just gonna lay here and die. Kay?"

"Better make an heir first." Noctis raspberried, being in much the same position himself. "Don't be so overdramatic. At least you don't have to spend three hours a day with our dads playing chess and bird watching. Oh and tomorrow we're learning to ride recumbent bikes." Noctis threw up his hands...though at the thought he actually did go get the bottle of vodka hidden under his bed, though there was little more than two shots left. 

He tossed it onto the Shield."Ya know what? Knock yourself out."

"Dude. You're a life saver!" Gladio sat up, making room for Noctis. He took a long swig, feeling the burn from tongue to stomach. As Gladio brought the bottle down from his lips, there was a soft knock on the door. "You ain't expecting anyone, are you?"

"Just Ignis, like every day." Noctis popped up to head for the door. "Hope he didn't bring that baby like yesterday."

"Shit. You didn't tell me he'd be here." Gladio stood, bottle in hand, but Noctis had already gone to the door and turned the handle, leaving a very uncomfortable scene. 

'Get rid of it.' Noctis mouthed, making a hand motion like he was throwing something behind him. But that was all he could do before the door swung open and Ignis, along with Asher, stood still in the doorway.

The bottle moved behind Gladio's back. Not the greatest hiding spot. His eyes immediately darted down as daggers pierced through his chest and it suddenly became harder to breathe. "I uh gotta go. Date in twenty." And with that he moved through the doorway past Ignis.

The push didn't go unnoticed by Ignis as Gladio passed, nor did his comment about a date.

"Dude you know you guys still have to work together." Noctis pointed out. 

"Of course, Highness. I'm trying not to make this difficult, but it's a two way street… it seems we can't find time to meet and talk." Ignis didn't want to, but the Prince was right.

"Yeah… with my house arrest and his dates it might be a while."

Possibly long enough that it stopped hurting. Or so Ignis hoped. "Yes, well… at least one of us has moved on."

Noctis shrugged. "I thought you said you were gonna try to leave the kid at the daycare…."

Ignis let out a noise. "The daycare won't let him stay more than ten hours a day. I promise he won't be much trouble…"

....

"Ignis Scientia?" The woman at the desk flipped to a page. "I'm sorry but it seems you have run out of daycare hours for this week. We can't take Asher again until Sunday."

"Sunday?" Ignis's eyes widened. After all, it was only Thursday. At the sign of his father's stress rising Asher started to fidget. "Please, I have a meeting in ten minutes so I don't have time to find another caregiver. I'll pay, whatever it costs…"

"Our policy is in place to force parents, especially with the busy Crownsguard schedule, to socialize with their children. Our policy is up to 10 hours a day up to 40 hours a week. This should have been explained when you signed up Asher for the first day. I, unfortunately, can't bend policy. You're going to have to take him with you."

Ignis was certain it  _ had  _ been explained, but he'd been so flustered that much had gone in one ear and out the other. "I don't think the  _ King  _ will be happy to see an infant in the Council chamber…"

"Perhaps you should have allocated your time better? I can't accept him. I'm sorry." And with that she closed the book and exited back into the daycare.

For a moment Ignis stood, looking helpless with Asher in his arms and a diaper bag slung around his back. When he could think of no other options he headed on to the Council chamber, hoping they would give him a pass, this one time.

….

When Ignis entered the Council chamber he was not last or late, but all eyes were on him, regardless. He muttered an apology to the room before turning to the attendants to explain his situation. One of the men graciously offered to watch the child off to the side while the meeting was in session, though he was not aloud to leave the room at any time. 

Bowing low in gratitude Ignis found his seat, his cheeks uncharacteristically flush, eyes circled by slight purple rings and his complexion pale. He pulled out his tablet and pen. The Prince was still on house arrest, and as such he was charged with keeping notes through all of the meetings, to recount to the Prince later that evening. 

Gladio's eyes were focused on Ignis through the whole meeting. An empty seat to his right revived, where the Prince would normally be. The stabbing of pain at the sight only made everything more difficult. Not once during the whole meeting did Ignis look up and meet Gladio's gaze. 

Twice baby Asher cried and Ignis was pulled away, though come the third time many of the council members chatted irritably about how Ignis should simply be removed from the meeting for causing so many disturbances. 

The King waved such things away, though once the meeting was concluded Ignis was pulled aside.

"The next time, I swear I will find a caretaker." The racing of Ignis's heart did nothing to calm his words. Even worse came the fact that when he lifted the child up from the floor to come face to face with the King, Asher screamed and started flailing his arms as if to escape. 

Gladio wanted desperately to step in, but even as the thought crossed his mind, his arm was grabbed by his father. "You have a date in fifteen. You're meeting at the cafe down the street. No dawdling, go."

"What if I don't want to?" Gladio spoke low and with his head down.

"This was your idea, Gladiolus, to find a woman to bear your offspring. And that's why you are required to follow through." Clarus was stern and there was no humor to his tone.

Across the room Ignis had looked up towards Gladio, briefly, his spectacles hiding the underlying glassiness of his eyes. One of the head councilmen had joined in the lecture, which only made Asher cry more.

"Well, drunk me is stupid." Gladio sighed, turning on his heel and storming from the chamber. 

….

The next meeting Ignis spent most of his time on the sidelines, playing with Asher and trying to jot down his notes in between. Afterwards was lunch break, a huge relief on the advisor, though he spent the majority of it making phone calls until he could find a last minute childcare provider that was within travelling distance. 

Afterwards came scheduled training, which he normally found invigorating but was hell on little to no sleep. At least he knew there were two more meetings before he had to run back and pick up Asher after the daycare closed for the night. 

Unfortunately he found himself faced with the same tattooed obstacle as always, considering the meeting was about Crownsguard dress code and etiquette. That same obstacle that refused to meet his gaze. 

After a long stare he looked away and rested his cheek on his palm. For a moment he felt heavy...

"Mr. Scientia, there is no sleeping in the Council chamber."

There was a round of murmuring as Ignis jolted awake. Yes. Noctis frequently fell asleep in the chamber, but this was Ignis and it was extremely unbecoming of the Prince's advisor. 

"If I have your permission, I will continue? Or are you in need of an excused absence? You are not looking well." 

"Apologies." Ignis folded his hands on the table before relocating his pen and tablet. Feeling sheepish was new for him and he tried to push it aside with all of his being. He hadn't even realized he was so tired. "Please continue. It-it will not happen again."

....

It was early enough in the morning that the cafe near the citadel was not very busy, a few patrons came in and ordered their coffee before heading out to work. A few tables were occupied by couples talking and one person in the corner on their laptop. 

Gladio sat at a table near the window, chin resting on his hands, elbows on the table. This was the last place he'd been on a date with Ignis and the coffee was leaving an overly bitter taste in his mouth. 

"Are you listening?" The woman who sat across from him cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't an unattractive person, her oval shaped face and almond shaped eyes centered perfectly. But her nose was too big, cheeks a little too puffy and her ears stuck out of her light brown hair. Her lips were narrow, and her neck was too thin. Gladio had been on the fence as soon as he'd seen her overly manicured nails and excessive amount of makeup, but his father gave him no choice. This punishment sucked.

"Yeah, Amy. You were telling me about your cat." Gladio looked at the woman, and if she could close off anymore, she did. 

"Sarah. My name's Sarah!"

Five days with little to no sleep was taking a toll on Ignis. At this point he couldn't head back home and into his bed, so coffee had been the only option. Asher cooed gently against his chest, thankfully not irritating the other customers in the cafe. It wasn't that the baby was particularly loud, but it always seemed any nose at all and people turned to defense mode.

It was with tunnel vision that he marched up to the counter and ordered his drink, with two extra shots, and paid with his Citadel chip card. He moved to the other end of the counter, and once his drink was in hand he turned to leave.

But instead he was stunned in place, seeing Gladio there, at a table with some overdressed woman.

"Sorry Emily. I don't want you to have my child." Gladio grumbled, only for the frail looking woman to get up with a huff and storm from the cafe, leaving her cup behind. Gladio looked back out the window, seemingly unphased by the departure of his date. 

It was unexpected, but Ignis wasn't sure what to do and remained frozen for a few long moments. Once he'd recovered he took a breath, swallowed a long drink of coffee and started to walk. On the way in Gladio's date may have seen him, but as he walked toward the exit he would have been right in the Shield's line of sight… well, if he hadn't been looking out the window.

When he was directly beside Gladio's table he stopped, scolded himself for what he was about to and turned his head towards his ex. He raised his eyes and glanced at the reflection in the window. 

"Sorry about Emily." There was not a single drop of malice in the advisor's voice.

"Hmm?" Gladio's body reacted before his brain could, and his face dropped. "Emily? I think her name was Paige. Fuck. I've been on 14 dates in 5 days. I can't keep them straight." Gladio looked down at his hands, a world of things springing in his mind to say. And not a word of them coming to the surface. 

Ignis looked away, a new onslaught of daggers in his chest telling him to leave. That was a lot of dates and a lot of women. This was the world he'd been tossed aside for. But he was in no position to tell Gladio how to live his life. That was part of what had gotten him to this point in the first place. "Well, I'm-I'm sure you'll find the one… I have to ….get to the daycare before I lose my appointment…"

"Ignis." Gladio stood as the other man walked away. He stood there for too long without saying anything, even if a hundred words were cued on his tongue. "Can you stay a little longer?"

But by the time Gladio had said the words Ignis was already gone and could be seen through the window. Head down, disappearing into the throng of morning foot traffic. 

Defeated, Gladio slumped back into his chair letting his entire body collapse, as his head fell into folded arms. 

....

Regardless of how the morning had started, as Gladio sat listening to Melissa talk about dendrology for twenty minutes, he got a text message from Ignis asking for help watching Asher so he could sleep. Reluctantly, Gladio agreed. 

Standing, Gladio called his father telling him to cancel his evening date and hung up before his father could complain. He didn't even bother telling Teresa he was leaving. Nor did he care about her calling after him. 

At 17:15, Gladio started at Ignis's door, trying to force himself to knock. Finally, he did, hoping Ignis was gone and had changed his mind. He could only take embarrassment once a day.

"Oh thank the gods." It was Noctis who opened the door, not Ignis, though he looked equally exasperated. "He looks like shit and I am not a caretaker…" 

"Excuse me?" Gladio looked down at Noctis, and peered inside. "Aren't you on house arrest?"

"Um yeah." As if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Ignis got kicked out of another meeting so dad sent me over to check on him but I'm not supposed to leave. Now that you're here…"

"Seriously?" Gladio stepped into the apartment, looking around. It was far less of a disaster than the last time he was here, but it looked like baby had exploded everywhere. Blankets and clothing folded and piled everywhere, diaper boxes, both full and empty and a bag of bags In the corner. This was the most mess Gladio had ever seen in Ignis's place. Ever. It wasn’t actually dirty, Ignis would never allow it, but the fact that he was stacking things up against the wall instead of cabinets or in piles rather than shelves and bins spoke volumes about his mental and physical state. 

"Where is he?" Gladio looked around, seeing baby Asher drooling in his crib and no Ignis to be found. 

"He was in the bathroom when I stole his phone and texted you." Noctis thought hard about it, but left the door open as he went back to peek down the hall. "Hopefully he didn't slip and die in the shower or something. That'd be unfortunate.”

"You texted me?" Gladio moved towards the bathroom. "At like noon." Opening the door revealed the shower was running and Ignis was curled in a ball on the floor. He looked reminiscent of a cat, cute if under different circumstances. Without hesitation, Gladio turned off the shower, lifted Ignis up, and moved him into his bedroom down the hall. 

By the time Gladio had exited the bathroom Noctis was already gone. Ignis was out so cold that even after he'd apparently fallen unconscious three hours earlier he didn't even budge. It could have been concerning if not for the broken fragments of incomprehensible sleep speech that slipped from Ignis's lips as he was tucked under the sheets. 

Which, of course left Gladio alone with a pair of giant green eyes drooling in the crib. With a sigh, Gladio picked up Asher to be met with a stench. With Ignis passed out, it had probably been a while since the boy was changed or fed, and Ignis was in no state to be parenting.

So, Gladio stepped in, finding it was easier than he'd expected. There was a strange green concoction in the fridge that Gladio assumed was baby food (considering it was the only thing in the fridge) and Asher was even easy to feed. 

Afterwards, they played, Asher cooing and giggling, bringing a smile to Gladio's lips. And, when it was time for a nap, they both settled into Ignis's chair, Asher grabbing onto Gladio's shirt. He fell asleep fast and it didn't take the Shield long to follow.

….

When Ignis awoke to a dark room, a warm bed and silence, he was immediately terrified. Heart moving a million miles an hour he flung the door to his room open and rushed down the hall, looking for Asher. “Noct? Noct where did you go?” 

He would never forgive himself if something happened to Asher because he’d fallen asleep and Noctis had run off. Worst case scenarios ran through his head, especially after the latest series of lectures had questioned Ignis’s ability to be both an advisor and a parent. When he found the door unlocked and the crib empty he collapsed against the wall, unable to stop the flood of tears that rushed down his face. 

"Iggy?" Gladio found himself being forced awake, a yawn pressing from his lungs. He shifted only slightly finding his arm had fallen asleep. "You should be quiet or you'll wake Asher."

It took a moment to realize he wasn’t hallucinating, and in that moment Ignis moved around the chair to see the infant in question curled up against Gladio’s large chest, sleeping peacefully. But the sudden surge of stress was still enough that if Ignis had any food in his stomach he might have thrown it up. “I’m just-I was worried.” trying to stop his lips from shaking Ignis turned, wiping away the tears and trying to center himself. “I’m sorry.” 

“Worried about?” Gladio yawned again, trying to follow Ignis in the darkness. One hand remained on baby Asher, who had one hell of a grip on his shirt, as he shifted ever so slightly. “You needed sleep. Noct called me. You took a nap on your bathroom floor. Your water bill is going to be HELL this month.” It was meant to be a joke to lighten the mood, but with the stress of everything else, it didn’t hit the mark. 

“Ignis,” Gladio had known this was coming, and the words kept replaying in his mind. Perhaps the lack of light would make it easier, not having to make direct eye contact. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have broken up with you. It has been a miserable week.” 

And it lingered in the air for what felt like an eternity. 

For some reason hearing it didn’t make anything feel better. The knives were still there. Ignis looked away. He was glad that in the darkness Gladio hadn’t seen the pathetic display of waterworks or the way his body had been shaking. “Well. You only did what you felt was necessary. I don’t bear you any ill will. It’s not your fault I’ve been a mess. You haven’t done anything with malicious intent… this is of my own doing.”

“This is all my fault. Every last bit of it. I-” Gladio swallowed hard, feeling the emotions pull at him. “I don’t think I can be a productive person without you around. I understand if you don’t want to take me back, because by the Six, I know I don’t deserve it. But-” Gladio sighed, not really sure what else to say or how. “You know, this kid is kinda cute. And I think he really likes me.” 

“I thought you liked dating dozens of women at once.” Yes, it was a little cold, but Ignis felt that cold right down to his insides. All the time. “Isn’t that why you left?… To be honest I never could wrap my head around what I might have done other than…” Ignis couldn’t say it out loud, but it included the fact that he wasn’t female and thus could not produce an heir, and that he was stopping Gladio from playing around as he wanted. 

“All those dates? Omg, it is a living hell. I hate it. That is the second worst decision of my life. But my father,” There was a little malice in the words. “Is insisting that I continue to find a mother for my child.” There was a sigh from the Shield’s lips. 

“You showed me the ad.” Ignis reminded the taller man, his voice low and a little scratchy. “When you broke it off… but I’ve also heard. You’re the talk of the town, at least in the female population. Everyone seems to think that you ending it with me was the right decision. They say this, not even realizing I was standing beside them the entire time.”

“That’s fucked.” Gladio sighed, feeling the daggers Ignis was throwing. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was,” Another sigh as Gladio forced the words to continue. “I was really drunk. I don’t think I was sober for twenty four hours. My dad, I think that is what he wanted, for me to break up with you. He pressured me the day of the funeral, telling me you were a mistake. I have been kinda in a fight with him for the past week too. I am not sure I’ve ever told anyone more to fuck themslves than I have to my dad this week. He’s really mad at me. I can’t remember who I’ve gone out with, except all their hobbies suck. Dad says I need to get to know them. I think he wants me to fall head over heels for one of them, but that spots already taken ...”

“Taking you back would hardly solve the dilemma with your father, or the issue with childcare hours. Are you sure it’s the wisest decision, on your part? You would still eventually have to find a woman to bear you an heir and… I’m absolutely a mess. I’m not sure I’m a viable parent. Even the Crown doesn’t think so. I’ve been… threatened with either my job, sending Asher to another home due to neglect conditions or… or both.” Ignis sighed, leaving Asher in Gladio’s arms and moving to the kitchen, something he often did when he felt stressed. However he refrained from opening the cheap wine that had been on his countertop for an entire week, though it looked awfully tempting. Neither did he have anything to cook. Anything he’d had that hadn’t been pureed to death had gone bad and been thrown out. 

“Move in with me.” The words even surprised himself, but Gladio stood, and followed, Asher stirred ever so slightly, but otherwise remained silent. “My house always has someone there and it is closer to the citadel then here. Also, I don’t think I’m getting out of having to have this kid now, but I never wanted to marry the woman. But, I am planning on paying her and caring for her and stuff.... We can figure it out, if you want. You are good for Noctis. You’re just stressed and not taking care of yourself. Neither of us are. I mean, if you don’t want to, I get it. But ...”

Ignis stayed silent for a long time, finally wondering if Gladio was in fact serious about everything he was saying. He didn’t want the Shield to make any rash decisions in this. Gladio had already gotten himself in enough trouble making decisions without thinking them through first. “Would your father even allow that? He’s still head of house, the final word would be his.”   
  


“If I produce him an heir, and stop cursing at him every chance I get, I think it's possible. Ya know, he doesn’t hate me, even though I have been really trying to get him to hate me. For some reason, he’s just really stuck on this ‘I need to have a kid thing.’” Gladio stepped closer, wanting to bridge the distance between them. 

When there was no more than a step between them Asher stretched his tiny body and yawned, confused by the dark room all around. Ignis put out a hand and brushed back Asher’s hair as he nodded, still feeling uncertain and unstable, though a little less hopeless. “You know, I always think his hair looks a little like yours. But… I know better than that. I just… I still don’t know how I came to be on this path it’s… I couldn’t even conceive of it a month ago. I’m too young for a child. So are you…”

“People have children younger, Iggs.” Gladio felt a tension in his body evaporate, but not completely. “I don’t like seeing you like this. I want to help. Dad seems to think I’d be a great father. I think Asher agrees.”

Still exhausted, Ignis leaned against the countertop and let his body relax. Maybe it wasn’t going quite as poorly as he anticipated. “If you are serious that you only want to pick someone for reproductive reasons then… you’re going about it the wrong way. Dating every one will take too long and only exhaust you. Narrow your choices, empirically. Weed out anyone with low IQ scores, poor family medical history, low athletic output, baldness, if you care about that… really anything you find detrimental to a future Shield of the King. I’m sure your father only thought of base things like appearance and a basic background check…” It may have seemed that Ignis was switching to a more professional mode, but it was helping him feel a little better. 

“The dating part was my father's idea. And at 16 dates, I am beyond done. Trust me. They’re all annoying. If you have a better idea Ifrit please save me from my own stupidity!" Gladio's eyes were pleading. 

Ignis's eyes searched the floor, knowing that such a task was completely in his skill set yet would hurt every step of the way until he was sure Gladio meant every word he was saying. 

"I uh… if you'd like I can go through the files up to your specifications tomorrow. I've been suspended from the Citadel for the next week due to work performance so I have little else to do." Though he supposed King Regis had to call it something to keep him away. 

"You have? Ignis why didn't you ask for help sooner? I would have been here. I'm sorry." Gladio reached out to touch Ignis's face, a frown turning his lips down. 

“I didn’t… really have a right to call on you, now, did I?” Ignis’s brow tented slightly. He hadn’t wanted to seem weak, though he knew he had failed miserably. Hence the reason he’d been suspended in the first place. It felt pathetic. “I don’t exactly have a family that puts up a very good safety net. It’s not anyone’s fault. I will make it through. I have enough savings that I should be alright for the time I am out of work. After all, I won’t have to hire a sitter.” 

“I do think we should try to convince my dad to let you move in. We could even turn my study into a bedroom. I’m not using the space. I don’t know anything about kids,” Gladio tipped Ignis’s head up, looking him in the eyes. “But we can figure it out together. I will never stop trying to seek forgiveness. I royally fucked up.” 

Ignis risked the hints of a smile, since this was the first time they’d come eye to eye since the day they had broken up in the first place. “Asher will be good practice. He’s a happy child, and if… well you could learn a lot, so that when your child is born you’ll have an idea of what to expect. Though I’ve never considered letting a surrogate live in home. It’s such an odd idea.” 

“I am bouncing all drunk ideas off you from now on, if that’s cool. I ain’t the smartest sober. I’m a moron drunk.” Gladio felt his eyes swell, the emotions overflowing as he stared into the emerald green eyes. “Do you forgive me and all my stupid?”

“I was never mad, only disappointed in myself. But if you still feel you need forgiveness, then I will oblige.” Ignis let the weight in his shoulders drop, though when his arms moved he was careful not to let Asher get crushed between them, though in Gladio’s grasp the child was up far enough that it was easy to avoid. “As long as you forgive me for handling the situation so poorly.” 

“I was never mad at you. I was mad at myself. Ashamed. I couldn't look at you without feeling my heart being shredded. You didn't handle anything poorly. There is nothing to forgive." Gladio shifted, pulling Ignis closer, pushing their body's together while holding Asher safely against his shoulder. "I will do everything to make it right."

"I was the one who told you I wouldn't hold it against you if you left. You have nothing to make right." Ignis was still tired, of course, but there was a sense of relief behind the heaviness of his body that was still very apparent. He pauses "But I would appreciate… a little help. However you are willing." 

"Every way I'm able." Gladio paused, moving Asher between the two of them. "Does he sleep through the night? Because if no, we should feed him before we put both of you back to bed."

Ignis scoffed, looking at the bright eyes that stared back at him. Asher certainly didn't appear tired. "To be honest I'm not sure. He hasn't yet but that might be on me… but we should give it a shot. And tomorrow we could meet up to discuss the women left on your list? Narrow it down a bit? Or anything else you would like?" he very well would have asked Gladio to spend the night but knew from the last time that there would be nowhere fit for the Shield to sleep. 

But above all else, Ignis was appreciative the lights hadn't been turned up so that Gladio would never see the embarrassing color on his face. Simultaneously Ignis reached up to lift Asher, but stopped when the boy gripped onto Gladio's hair and jacket and grunted in protest. 

“Guess someone doesn’t want me to leave.” Gladio took one large finger, placing it on Asher’s tiny nose while simultaneously making a ‘boop’. It worked, and Asher released Gladio with a blink. “Don’t worry little guy. If everything works to plan. I ain’t going nowhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so difficult to write but I think it turned out well. It is sort of a second spin off of this fic
> 
> [This must be an Amicitia trait ....](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22311094)
> 
> where Gladio is the one who gets a baby sprung on him. While they aren't connected, they were inspired by the same prompt. In both, Gladio is a great dad, but he is far more stupid in this one. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this as much as we did! We love all kudos and will respond to all comments. Thank you for reading!


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